PEAS

PEAS
My peas are in blossom! I should have fresh peas within two weeks. Frozen peas are so ubiquitous that it is easy to forget the simple pleasure of shelling pea pods and eating fresh, sweet peas straight from the vegetable garden. If you find shelling peas too labor intensive, you can try snow peas or snap peas instead; you eat the pod whole so there’s less work –and less waste, too.
SOW-peas are hardy plants so they are a useful early crop. I didn’t get mine in as early as I usually do- I like to have fresh peas by the 4th of July, this year they will be a week or two later but my plants look good. If you start early enough in the season you can make several sowing through the spring and summer for a succession of fresh peas. However, in hotter areas they will suffer in the heat, so confine yourself to early spring and fall crops.
GROW- I fertilize mine when the plant looks like it is ready to burst with blossoms. They have that look for about two weeks before they actually blossom, so it is not difficult to catch this stage and react with some fertilizer. I dig a shallow ditch on the upper side of the row next to the roots- sprinkle the fertilizer into the row and as I cover the row I work the soil towards the plant. Peas do not need a lot of water until the first flowers start to form. As the pods start to swell, regular watering in dry spells should increase the yield.
HARVEST-For the maximum harvest, pick pods regularly to encourage more flowering and more pods to form- I pick mine every other day. Nip off the pods using your index finger and thumb to avoid uprooting the plant. If you have a surplus of any kind of pea, they freeze well. Blanch briefly in boiling water, cool quickly (in ice water), and freeze on a metal tray. Separate and transfer to plastic bags or plastic containers when frozen. You can also pick pea shoots and tendrils when young and tender and add them to salads. They will have a mild pea flavor.